Capathia Jenkins & Ryan Shaw Headline Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s ARETHA: A TRIBUTE TO THE QUEEN OF SOUL

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra begins 2020 with two performances of ‘Aretha: A Tribute to the Queen of Soul’ on Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 2 & 8 p.m. at Bob Carr Theater.

 The Philharmonic welcomes Capathia Jenkins back to the stage after the success of  ‘A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald.’  Three-time Grammy Award nominee Ryan Shaw as guest vocalist, Lucas Waldin as guest conductor, and the Bethune-Cookman University Concert Chorale will join the performances.

 Jenkins most recently released the critically acclaimed album Phenomenal Woman: The Maya Angelou Songs with her collaborator Louis Rosen and they Sold Out the world-famous Birdland Theatre in NYC for 3 nights. She starred as ‘Medda’ in the hit Disney production of Newsies on Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in The Civil War, where she created the role of Harriet Jackson. She then starred in the Off-Broadway 2000 revival of Godspell, where she wowed audiences with her stirring rendition of “Turn Back, O Man” which can still be heard on the original cast recording. She returned to Broadway in The Look of Love and was critically acclaimed for her performances of the Bacharach/David hits. Ms. Jenkins then created the roles of ‘The Washing Machine’ in Caroline, Or Change and ‘Frieda May’ in Martin Short Fame Becomes Me where she sang ‘Stop the Show’ and brought the house down every night.  In 2007, she went back to Off-Broadway and starred in (mis) Understanding Mammy-The Hattie McDaniel Story for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. She was also seen in Nora Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore.

Shaw is a three-time Grammy-nominated artist. He most recently appeared as Judas in the Lyric Opera House’s (Chicago) US debut of the critically acclaimed London’s Regents Park production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which won the Oliver for “Best Musical Revival”. He also stared as the original Stevie Wonder in Motown the Musical on Broadway. He has also stared on London’s West End as the Soul of Michael Jackson in Thriller Live.

Waldin is a dynamic and versatile conductor whose performances have delighted audiences across North America. He has collaborated with some of today’s most exciting artists including Carly Rae Jepsen, Ben Folds, The Canadian Brass and Buffy Sainte-Marie, in addition to conducting presentations such as Disney in Concert, Blue Planet Live, Cirque de la Symphony, and the groundbreaking symphonic debut of R&B duo Dvsn as part of the global Red Bull Music Festival. Waldin has been a guest conductor for numerous orchestras in the U.S. and Canada, including the Houston Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, the Modesto Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Vancouver Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic and the Toronto Symphony. Having joined the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra as Resident Conductor in 2009, Waldin was subsequently appointed Artist-in-Residence and Community Ambassador – the first position of its kind in North America.

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is supported by United Arts of Central Florida, host of OrlandoAtPlay.com and UAArtsEd.com. This project is funded in part by Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program,\ and sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida. The Accommodations Sponsor is Comfort Suites Downtown Orlando.

Tickets start at $27 and can be purchased online at orlandophil.org, by calling 407.770.0071, or in person at the Box Office, located at The Plaza Live (425 N. Bumby Avenue, Orlando). The Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Ticket prices subject to change.)

Celebrating its 27th Season, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is led by Music Director Eric Jacobsen and is comprised of creative musicians and artists from around the world. The Philharmonic annually presents the FAIRWINDS Classics Series and Pops Series at Bob Carr Theater and its Focus Series at The Plaza Live, a historic Central Florida venue. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s mission is to enrich and inspire the diverse communities of Central Florida through the transformative power of live music, and it presents more than 170 live concerts and impacts more than 70,000 children, youth and families annually through its Young People’s Concerts, Symphony Storytime Series, Notes in Your Neighborhood program, and free outdoor community concerts. A resident company of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the Philharmonic will perform in Steinmetz Hall when it opens in 2020. Learn more at OrlandoPhil.org.